Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arbon and Geneva

For one person, living is cheaper in Arbon: $3,464 a month against $4,051 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index
197

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
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Geneva Living Index

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Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arbon and in Geneva

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arbon and in Geneva actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,464 per month in Arbon vs $4,051 in Geneva, rent included.

Arbon $3,464
Geneva $4,051

A couple spends around $5,192 per month in Arbon vs $6,137 in Geneva, rent included.

Arbon $5,192
Geneva $6,137

A family of three spends $6,920 per month in Arbon vs $8,222 in Geneva, rent included.

Arbon $6,920
Geneva $8,222

Arbon is about 14% cheaper than Geneva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Arbon and Geneva sit above the global median – Arbon by 157%, Geneva by 200%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.53 CHF 24.33

$30.11 CHF 24.80

-1.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 118

$132 CHF 108

9.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.95 CHF 15.61

$18.29 CHF 15.06

3.61%

Cappuccino

$6.11 CHF 5.03

$6.12 CHF 5.04

-0.16%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 CHF 4.73

$4.69 CHF 3.86

22.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$4.25 CHF 3.50

19.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.00 CHF 7.42

$9.69 CHF 7.98

-7.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$9.65 CHF 7.95

-36.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$2.25 CHF 1.85

-4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$3.36 CHF 2.77

-6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 CHF 3.12

$3.40 CHF 2.80

11.47%

Eggs

$7.88 CHF 6.49

$7.86 CHF 6.47

0.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.14 CHF 20.71

$24.91 CHF 20.52

0.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CHF 23.41

$29.00 CHF 23.88

-2.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.09 CHF 33.84

$41.83 CHF 34.45

-1.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-3.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.65

$1.64 CHF 1.35

21.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 CHF 1.97

$2.69 CHF 2.21

-11.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 CHF 4.35

$4.76 CHF 3.92

10.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.62 CHF 1.34

25.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.15 CHF 1.77

1.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$2.21 CHF 1.82

3.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CHF 1.01

$1.59 CHF 1.31

-23.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 CHF 8.77

$10.98 CHF 9.05

-3.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.47 CHF 13.57

$11.85 CHF 9.76

38.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$3.08 CHF 2.54

-31.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$3.31 CHF 2.73

-32.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$3.70 CHF 3.04

30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 CHF 79.1

$90.4 CHF 74.5

6.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 CHF 5.35

$7.49 CHF 6.17

-13.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.73 CHF 3.89

$3.94 CHF 3.25

20.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.17 CHF 29.79

$62.5 CHF 51.5

-42.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.30 CHF 1.89

-0.43%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

$37.9K CHF 31.2K

-9.19%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$38.2K CHF 31.5K

2.87%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$275 CHF 227

$281 CHF 231

-1.93%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$38.11 CHF 31.39

$36.24 CHF 29.85

5.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CHF 44.78

$57.8 CHF 47.62

-5.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.0 CHF 74.1

$75.9 CHF 62.5

18.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.06 CHF 32.17

$44.57 CHF 36.71

-12.36%

Cinema Ticket

$23.43 CHF 19.29

$23.65 CHF 19.48

-0.93%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,250 CHF 1,853

$2,349 CHF 1,935

-4.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

$35.0K CHF 28.8K

-10.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$137 CHF 113

4.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 CHF 53.6

$79.4 CHF 65.4

-18.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 CHF 118

$163 CHF 134

-12.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 CHF 146

$185 CHF 152

-4.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,286

$2,816 CHF 2,320

-44.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 CHF 1,253

$2,103 CHF 1,732

-27.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 CHF 2,392

$4,789 CHF 3,945

-39.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,322 CHF 1,912

$3,670 CHF 3,023

-36.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

$22.3K CHF 18.4K

-37.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

-12.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$11.1K CHF 9,124

$7,268 CHF 5,986

52.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

1.98

-4.04%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arbon: October 10, 2026

Last update for Geneva: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9%

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9% 38.2% $582

Groceries & Markets

Arbon

$588 17%

Geneva

$591 14.6% 0.5% $3.1

Eating Out

Arbon

$467 13.5%

Geneva

$473 11.7% 1.2% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arbon

$368 10.6%

Geneva

$375 9.3% 1.9% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Arbon

$238 6.9%

Geneva

$254 6.3% 6.7% $16

Getting Around

Arbon

$145 4.2%

Geneva

$132 3.3% 8.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Arbon

$137 4%

Geneva

$123 3% 10% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,561 in Arbon versus $2,816 in Geneva. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 52% higher in Arbon, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $144 in Arbon versus $132 in Geneva. Groceries tell a different story – $588 in Arbon vs $591 in Geneva – so Arbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Arbon

🇨🇭 Geneva

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

Same time as Arbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,853

191,557

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Arbon Geneva 290 km

From you

Arbon
Geneva

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arbon vs Geneva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,464 in Arbon, $4,051 in Geneva – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,197 per month in Arbon and $6,077 in Geneva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,464 in Arbon and $4,051 in Geneva. That's a gap of about 17%.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Arbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,464 in Arbon and $4,051 in Geneva. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Geneva has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,464 in Arbon to $4,051 in Geneva. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Geneva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.